NYPD: Family of 4 found stabbed to death in apartment on Upper West Side
NEW YORK -- The NYPD is investigating the deaths of a family of four on the Upper West Side.
Police said a man and a woman, ages 41 and 40, along with their children, ages 3 and 1, were found stabbed to death inside their apartment at 328 W. 86th St., following a wellness check on Monday afternoon.
CBS New York spoke to heartbroken and perplexed residents. The father who died grew up in the building. He was the superintendent and his father was the super before him.
Residents described him as a doting family man and it seems nobody can imagine what went wrong.
A historic co-op was the scene of what investigators believe to be a gruesome murder-suicide.
"A lot of tears and a lot of gasping," Jeff Kimmel said.
"Everybody is freaking out," Lynne Allen added.
Police were called to the building off Riverside Drive at around 3 p.m. by the father of the building's super. Sources told CBS New York he was trying to get a hold of his 41-year-old son.
The super's dad knocked at his one-bedroom apartment, and when no one answered he looked into the peephole and saw his son's 40-year-old wife bleeding on the floor.
Police arrived to find the couple, along with their 3- and 1-year-old sons dead. Each had been stabbed.
"They were adorable. They were babies," Allen said.
Investigators found kitchen knives at the scene and saw no signs of a break-in.
"He's like a really decent human being. He's like a nice guy. So I have no idea what could've possibly happened," Kimmel said.
Residents said the super moved into the building when he was just 10 years old, when his father was the super.
"I've known him since he was a little boy and used to play stick ball with the kid who is now the nighttime super in the corner building," neighbor Philip Caggiano said.
Caggiano said he has bumped in to him the other day.
"And I thought how great to live on this street with this happy family. This is heartbreaking, just heartbreaking," Caggiano said.
The young family was getting ready to move to Westchester County, where the father had just accepted another job as a super.
"Because he's outgrown a one-bedroom apartment with his family of four and we all were so happy for him, just thrilled he got this upgrade and lifestyle change and everyone was really happy," Allen said.
Investigators spent hours trying to figure out exactly what happened, while neighbors racked their brains to figure out why.
"This isn't what you expect in this building, in this gorgeous neighborhood, in this very quiet building," Allen said.
Residents said the super's last day was supposed to be at the end of this month, but the family was planning to stay in the building until they moved into their new apartment in Westchester in a few weeks.